When I reviewedSons of O’Flaherty’s demo in 2012, I wrote “As the band say that their
influences are Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, The Tossers,
Social Distortion or Bad Religion, I guess that they could soon
evolve into a real Celtic Punk band and move from the pubs circuit to the rock
venues circuit. They are young, they write their own material and a strong
competitor to The Booze would help to establish a Celtic punk scene in France.”
After listening to the songs that were put together on the “Misc Songs” EP from
2016, it was clear that they have really evolved in that direction.

Some members have gone and new ones have jumped
in. Then, the personnel who recorded "The Road not Taken" was Tibo on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Maël
on mandolin, banjo and background vocals, Théo on bass and background vocals,
Lawrynn on tin whistle, harmonica and veuze, Tom on drums and Théo on electric
guitar and background vocals. They launched a successful crowdfunding campaign and
have released the debut album that their fans were expecting.

“The Road not Taken” takes its inspiration from
writings by Robert Frost and Jack Kerouac. It’s packed in a four panel digipack
together with a 12 page booklet including all of the lyrics to the songs, all
of the credits and the thank-yous. If the packaging is flawless, the music
itself is brilliant. Only a couple of standards have made the album, and 9 out
of 11 tracks are self-penned songs.

The fans having followed the band from their
beginning will notice that 3 songs were previously recorded by Sons of O’Flaherty.
In fact, an earlier rendition of “Sam Hall” can be found on the band’s first
demo. Obviously the song has been re-arranged: it keeps the original spirit,
but it has got a bigger Celtic punk treatment with electric guitar and tin
whistle. Fellows from the Folk’n’Punk brigade sing guest vocals too: Seb (The Mullins), Greg (Jack Raven’s Whores)
and Denis (The Moorings). “Once upon a Binge” and “Fields of Athenry” were
released on the “Misc Songs” EP. The former differs from the original version.
The intro and the spoken part in the middle have been removed. Moreover, the
previous version featured fiddle by old member Mak, while the new one features
Lawrynn on tin whistle. Apart from that, “Once upon a Binge” is a kick-ass
drinking song and I’m sure that you’ll grab a pint straightaway when you listen
to this song. “Fields of Atheny” is close to the Dropkick Murphys’ version.
However, it has some influences from Neck’s version: the tin whistle and the “hey
hey the small free birds fly” gang vocals.

Other amazing songs from “The Road not Taken”
are Dropkick Murphys infused numbers. The opening track ”Dead and Gone” features
veuze (the old bagpipes from Brittany), gang vocals and mandolin. The song can
be filed together with “The Night Pat Murphy Died” and Soldat Louis “Sur Ma Tombe”:“Cause when I’m dead and gone I want my party
to be restless / And everybody smiling to the trumpet of Louis Armstrong /
Wanna get my kicks one last time with the sweet hoarse voice of Mike Ness / I
want a kick ass funeral and all my friends to sing along / I want a kick ass
funeral and all my friends to sing along”. “The Better Claim” is an awesome boy/girl
song à la DKM’s “Dirty Glass” or The Pogues “Fairytale of New York”. Guest Sophie
(Burning Lady) sings the girl’s parts.

“Love me” is So-Cal punk at its best. Maël on
mandolin and Lawrynn on veuze do a great job. “The Lucky Ones” is a fantastic
number. It reminds me slightly of The Men They Couldn’t Hang. It’s based on
acoustic guitar, mandolin and harmonica, but the end of the song featuring
electric guitar has a The Real McKenzies sound. Matty (Roughneck Riot) guests on “Saint
or Sinner”, a badass song blending Flogging Molly influences, the mandolin
driven punk folk by Matty’s band and some Celtic soul on the chorus.

“Red Wine Teeth” was the song chosen for the
first video off “The Road not Taken”. “Glory Days” and “The Townspeople”
showcase a different side of Sons of O’Flaherty. Lawrynn plays harmonica on
both songs. “Glory Days” is a ballad where banjo can be heard. “The Townspeople”
has an American folk song touch. Kevin (The Decline) guests on vocals.

German writer Jean-Luc Bannalec / Jörg Bong’s Comissaire
Dupin crime novels take place in Brittany. They have been a huge success in
Germany and in other European countries. Sons of O’Flaherty are currently on
tour and they’ll be playing a couple of gigs in Germany and Switzerland at the
beginning of September. I’m pretty sure
that sooner or later Sons of O’Flaherty will be able to break through the German
Celtic festivals circuit too.

The Templars of Doom "Bring Me the Head of John the Baptist" Poe Records, POE 078Release date: June 17, 2017Running Time: 31:22, 9 tracks

The band formerly known as Alternative Ulster released their debut album “Rebellion” in 2016. When their piper Sean Mag Shamhrain left Alternative Ulster, the band decided to change their name to The Templars of Doom. The current incarnation of the band is Rory Quinn (electric guitar & vocals), Michael X. Rose (vocals & bass), Eric Pomarico (drums & vocals), Josie Rose (pipes & whistles) and Marty Shane (mandolin & vocals).

The album title comes from a cult movie. “Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia” is one of the most violent films by Sam Peckinpah. I wouldn’t say that The Templars of Doom “Bring me the Head of John the Baptist” is a violent work (well, maybe the album cover is a little bit violent). However, the album’s sound is quite wild and "basic".

That rough at the edges approach can be noticed on “The Oliver Cromwell Twist”, “Saint Patrick Saved Ireland”, the title track “Bring Me the Head of John the Baptist” and “Suicide Bomb”. The lyrics are not very long and sometimes the chorus are sung in a percussive way. My fave is “Bring me the Head of John the Baptist”, while “Suicide Bomb” is probably more “complex” than the other songs. The Templars of Doom’s instinctive approach differs from the usual bagpipes rock sound. However, the songs are always addictive with sing along chorus.

There are only a couple of standards on “Bring me the Head of John the Baptist”. The rebel song “A Nation Once Again” kicks off softer than the band’s self-penned songs. But once the chorus is reached and the pipes are added, the song gets The Templars of Doom’s treatment. On the other hand, “The Minstrel Boy” is wild and loud from its very beginning.

The closing number “Michael Collins’ Ghost” was co-written by Mike O’Leary, who also sings lead vocals. This cut has an epic hard rock touch.

Scott Benson guests on two tracks. I have left them to the end, but IMHO they are the album’s highlights: “Eyes” and “The Templars Erupt”. "Eyes" starts off with mandolin, like a Planxty song. The uilleann pipes are used perfectly and their sound provides a great folk atmosphere. Yes, the mandolin, the uilleann pipes, the tin whistle and the guitar send the listener directly to Ireland. If Dave King ever hear this song, I guess that he’ll be wondering if he wrote that himself. Brilliant song and the best number on the album. “The Templars Erupt” is another amazing track. There are some vocals, but I'd say that it’s an instrumental tune. This time, Scott plays tin whistle and bodhrán. If you like The Pogues “Wildcats of Kilkenny”, you’ll love “The Templars Erupt” too.

The CD has been released by Poe Records, the label under which Michael X Rose has also issued his side project’s albums (The Wild Irish Roses, a true family band: mom, dad and 8 kids!!! ). It’s packed on a jewel case and, on the 4 page booklet, The Templars of Doom thank all the Celtic punk e-zines/podcasts/radios for their support. The artwork, as usual, was made by Michael. The songs were engineered by Rory and Michael and mixed by Rory. JZ Barrell mastered the tracks.

Every band has its ups and downs. Fortunately, The Templars of Doom/Alternative Ulster’s downs didn’t last too long. They keep on evolving and the final result is very interesting. And I’ve said evolving, not growing up. As the Ramones said, ”I don’t wanna grow up”.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Zuname are proud to present their new EP "Nothing Can Stop Me"! 4 powerful tracks, razzle-dazzle and rage, courage and old age! No celtic compomises, only agression and bagpipes. Russian bagpipe machine will crush you. Come to their concerts to see it.

They would like to thank Denis Ivanov from Distemper Records for the fierce sound, guys from Ottyag for the powerful cover, Tamara Nechepaeva for help with songs and sacred care, Ivan Eroshin for the tour support, guys from FC Beamish for the most powerful support. And, of course, Zuname want to say thank you to all who go to their shows, those who tell them kind words or listen to their songs. Nothing can stop them!

The Black Tar Rivers are an 8-piece Levellers tribute band featuring members of four separate bands; The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican, The Sweetchunks Band, Treebeard and Blackthorn.

They played what was meant to be their first and only show at the Bostin' Days 2 Festival in Bilston, as 'The Black Tar Rivers Boozy Big Band'. During this special 'one-off' performance, in which they played all of the seminal 'Levelling The Land' album, the seven-member band were joined by a bunch of guest musicians from the UK's alternative music festival scene.

The band is very-much a side-project of all of the members of the band, but reforming once in a blue moon allows The Black Tar Rivers to bring the very best songs from Brighton's most loved punk-folk band to the small stage.

The Black Tar Rivers were back and hit the Main Stage of Farmer Phil's Festival in Shropshire.

For those following the story, last October the little Levellers tribute band (made of Barnsley comedy band The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican, Southampton comedy band The Sweetchunks Band and Treebeard drummer James Howe) and a cast of special guests graced the stage at Bostin' Days 2 Festival as 'The Black Tar Rivers Boozy Big Band'. They had a blast... So performing simply as The Black Tar Rivers and minus the special guests (and with the addition of Jame's brother Joel from folk-ravers Black Thorn) they brought the Levellers' seminal 'Levelling The Land' album to Farmer Phil's. They currently have no plans for any other shows as of yet, so this was the only chance for 2017.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Summer is under way !! Hope you all have been making the most of your time, it’s the same ol’ grind over here right now. Work, Kids, School, Music and Concerts.. So much to do and so very little time!

What you have here is the first Fancast of 2017, thanks to Jeff the man who’s musical taste is so much like me we could be related! You have put together a brilliant and I appreciate it! So ladies and gentlemen kick back turn it up loud and enjoy!! This is Episode #34 of The Grinning Beggar’s Paddy Rock Podcast – The Steele Cast !!